Foot-guard for rail-frogs.



-W. G. PROSSER.

FOOT GUARD FOR RAIL FROGS.

APPLICATION FILED APB..16, 1909.

Patented June 7,1910.

. -MM INVENTOR.

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WITNESSES."

I 09 I449 a UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

WILLIAM C. PROSSER, OF ASHLEY, INDIANA.

FOOT-GUARD FOR RAIL-FROGS.

Application filed April 16, 1909.

T 0 all whom it may concern: V

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM C. Pnossnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ashley, in the county of De Kalb, in the State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foot-Guards forRail-Frogs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in foot guards for rail frogs.

It is well known that employees, pedestrians and others, as well ashorses, frequently get their feet caught in the switch frogs of bothstreet and steam railways, and also between the diverging ends ofguard-rails and the adjacent rallway rails, whereby serious injury andeven loss of life sometimes results.

The object, therefore, of my present invention is to provide an improvedfoot-guard for frogs, switches and guard rails adapted to prevent a footof either man or beast from being caught therein.

My invention consists of a triangular block adapted to snugly fit thoseportions of the switch, frogs and guard-rails where the rails diverge,and having their upper faces longitudinally recessed to receive thewheel flanges. I

The principal novel feature of my invention resides in the generic ideaof providing a foot guard which eliminates the danger of getting thefoot accidentally caught in switches or frogs of railways.

Another novel feature is the construction of the same whereby it issnugly embraced and supported by the railway rails, and has its upperface recessed for the wheel flanges.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the severalviews in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the railway rails forming aswitch and a frog with the usual guard rails, and showing my inventionin position therein. Fig. 2 is a cross section of diverging railwayrails as found either at the ends of a guard-rail, and in a frog throat,with my invention in position and shown in cross-section, showing theraised center thereof and the converging recess for the wheel flanges.Fig. 3 is a similar Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 7, 1910.

Serial No. 490,377.

cross-section showing a modified form of my invention for use in afrog-point only, where no recesses for the wheel flanges are required.Fig. 4 is a detail plan of my invention showing the relative arrangementof the raised center and the converging recesses. Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an end view of Figs. 4 and 5 looking fromthe right. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a slightly modified form of myinvention, and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 9 is across-section of Fig. 7 taken on the line a2-w and showing cored outunder-cut portion.

My invention of proper dimensions and material, preferably of suitablemetal, is triangular in contour and is formed of a single block or plate1 having a plurality of vertical openings 2 in its widest end for thereception of bolts or spikes or other means, for rigidly securing thesame in position upon the cross-ties 3, as shown in Fig. 1, in which 4represents the main track rails, 5 and (3 the switch rails, 7 and 8represent the guard rails, and 9 represents the frog point.

The foot-guard 1 has its opposite converging sides fashioned to fitsnugly against the web of the rail, and between the base and ball of therail as shownin Figs. 2 and 3, and has its upper face provided with thelongitudinal recesses 10, Figs. 2, 4i, 6, 7 and 9, in parallelarrangement with the adjacent sides of the foot-guard, of properdimensions to receive the wheel flange in use without frictional contacttherewith.

Substantially midway of the converging sides of the foot-guard isarranged a longitudinal ridge 11, Figs. 2, 7, 8 and 9 whose upper facein use is substantiallyflush with the tread of the rails between whichit is used, thereby efl'ectually preventing the entrance of a foot, evenof a child between the rails in such a manner as to holdingly engage thesame.

It is evident that the foot-guard 1 is adapted to snugly fit between themovable ends of the switch rails 5 and 6 and their adjacent respectivetrack rails, Fig. 1, as well as between the opposite ends of theguardrails 7 and 8 and their respective coacting track-rails, and alsoto be similarly employed in the frog throat 12, and between the ends ofthe frog-guards 13 and the respective adjacent track rails.

Obviously where my invention is employed at the ends of guard rails orother situations in which the wheel flange engages but one side of thesame, only one recess 10 is required.

Where my invention is employed between the diverging track rails at afrog-point, as shown at 14 in Fig. 1, that modified form of my inventionshown in Fig. 3 may be employed in which the facial recesses 10 and thecentral flange 11 are omitted, and the upper face of the guard-block 1is nearly, but not quite flush with the tread of the rails.

The body of the block 1 is preferably materially lightened and cheapenedby providing it with a centrally arranged longitudinal cored out orunder-cut portion 15 of suitable dimensions. The flange 11 may be, ifdesired, materially widened as shown in Fig. 4:. In Fig. 1, the springcasing 16 of well understood construction is shown in its usual relationto the frog.

It is thus obvious that when my invention is placed in position it willcompletely eliminate all danger of accidentally getting'the foot fast atthe meeting points of switch frogs, switch-rails or guard-rails, andthat my invention can be cheaply constructed,

and readily placed in position by unskilled labor, and that it isequally applicable to either steam or electric railways.

Having thus described my invention and the manner of employing the samewhat I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A foot-guard for railway frogs consisting of a triangular block whosesides abut the adjacent sides of two converging rails, and whose upperface is provided with a central upright flange flush with the upperfaces of the rails, and has opposite facial recesses and whose lowerfaceis provided with an under cut longitudinal recess.

2. A foot-guard for switch frogs, consisting of a pointed block whoseconverging opposite sides are embraced by the respective webs of twodiverging railway rails, and whose upper face projects flush with theupper faces of the balls of the rails,

8. A triangular foot-guard block for converging railway rails having itsupper face provided with one or more longitudinal grooves and anintermediate upright flange, the said block having an under recess inits lower face, being adapted to close the space between the meetingportions of the rails.

Signedby me at Ashley, county of De Kalb, State of Indiana, this 9 dayof April,

WILLIAM C. PROSSER. Witnesses:

WILLIAM F. BAUGHMAN, FRANcIs M. KELLEY.

